Racing driver Billy Monger in Amplifon Awards For Brave Britons finals

Billy, now 21, who lost both legs in a crash four years ago, has reached the final four of the Celebrity Hero category in global-hearing specialist Amplifon’s search for the ‘Best of British’ heroes.

He will now be invited to the virtual awards presentation on Tuesday, October 5. The event will be hosted by BBC One TV Breakfast and Radio 5 Live presenter Rachel Burden, and Falklands War hero Simon Weston will be guest of honour.

He won the hearts of the nation when he amazingly overcame a celebrity challenge of walking, kayaking and cycling 140 miles across England.

Billy tackled the event over five days to raise the amazing amount for Red Rose Day. He completed the final 50 miles walking and cycling laps of Brands Hatch race track.

His display of courage and determination brought tears to thousands of viewers’s eyes especially after he tweeted: “Keep pushing, keep trying, keep going, keep moving and always keep believing.”

Racing has been in Billy’s since he drove his first kart at the age of three. He was badly injured in April 2017, during a British F4 race at Donington Park in which he nearly died. Before driving in F4 he had been successful in kart and Ginetta Junior racing .

In 2018 Billy Whizz – as he was nicknamed – won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

Miraculously he returned to a single-seater racing car that same year and was part of the Carlin team in the opening meeting of the 2018 BRDC Formula 3 series.

And the Channel 4 TV documentary ‘Billy Monger: Changing Gear’ saw Billy train with some of Great Britain’s Paralympic athletes in the build up to the Games in Tokyo.